The Addiction of Love

VIII

As Inaya had asked, Zain was in front of her office at 7:25pm. She walked out a few minutes later and was pleasantly surprised to see him already waiting.

"On time, I see!" She remarked.

"I would never keep such a pretty girl waiting."

They rode the lift till the parking lot and got into the car.

"Do you mind if I take you somewhere before dropping you home?" He asked while putting on his seat belt.

"Like a date?" She asked.

"If that's what you want to call it." He started the engine.

"I won't mind a date with my future husband." She giggled and texted her mother that she'd be late.

Inaya didn't know where he was taking her, and she didn't even bother asking. She trusted him and also liked the feeling of getting surprised.

He pulled the car over in a very busy street.

"We're going to have our date here?" Inaya looked around and saw cars running past them, and local shops on both the sides of the road.

Zain chuckled. "No, we're just here to pick our dinner. I hope you like shawarma."

"Ohh, I love it." She was excited as soon as she heard about that delicious dish.

"That place serves the best shawarma in the city." He pointed towards a shop. "I'll be back soon."

He stepped out of the car, and she saw him cross the road and go inside the shop. A while later, he came out with a takeaway bag in his hand.

Half an hour later,he stopped the car and they both came out. The breeze messed with Inaya's open hair. She put them behind her ears and looked ahead to see the magnificent Marine Drive.

Zain led them to an empty space to sit. It was a magical place to be at, with the night sky, ocean, and air. She had come here quite a few times before, but this visit felt different to her. Maybe it was because of the company she had this time.

"I'd never get over its beauty." Inaya said while looking at the waves.

"Me too," Zain replied while looking at her.

She noticed it, and even though it was very cliche, she couldn't control her blush. Her hair was flowing aimlessly on her face, so he forwarded his hand to put it back. The tingling sensation his fingers gave when it grazed her cheeks made her heart skip a beat.

The both stared into each other's eyes, with so many emotions flowing between them.

Zain was the first one to break eye contact, because if he looked at her angelic face for one more second, he'd have lost control and ended up kissing her. And he didn't want to do anything before the nikah. He was a religious man, and tried to stay on the path of Allah as much as he could.

"Shall we eat?" He asked her.

She nodded and he took out the shawarmas and chutneys from the packet. Inaya couldn't help but moan as soon as she bit into it.

"Wow, this is so good." She spoke with food in her mouth. He found that adorable.

"I told you!" He smugged.

"By the way, I didn't expect the CMO of a multinational company to take his fiance to Marine Drive on their first date." She teased him.

"What did you expect then?"

"I expected a five star restaurant, candle light dinner, you know all that elite and posh stuff."

"I can do that as well, if you don't like it here?" He said nervously. He thought that she didn't like this simple date.

"Oh no, no. That's not what I meant. I just said that that's what I expected of you. But trust me, I'd choose shawarma with you here over any high class restaurant any day." She assured him.

"There is a reason why I brought you here today." He toyed with his food. "This place holds memories of me and my parents. For as long as I can remember, my mom and dad used to bring me here with them. We used to sit here for hours, just talking, laughing and playing. And while going back home, we all used to get ice cream. That is one of the happiest memories they've left me with. I lost them five years ago in a plane crash."

Inaya felt bad for him, but at the same time she felt special that he brought her here and allowed her to be a part of his favorite memory.

She didn't like seeing him with his shoulders slumped in sadness. And she swore to herself that she'd never leave him alone.

"Can't believe that you're the same guy who had never left a chance to insult me!" She said in an amused tone. She wanted to cheer him up again, and it worked. His body got straight and he looked at her with accusation in his eyes.

"Excuse me! Am I the only one who was throwing insults? You were no less either."

She shrugged. "Well it would be good for you if you get used to it. From today onwards, no matter why we fight, it'd be you who'll apologize. Okay?"

He gasped. "Absolutely not."

"Absolutely yes. You don't have a choice."

And just like that, their bickering continued.

Some habits never change.

They talked for almost two hours. In between, Inaya had started to shiver due to those cold breezes, and Zain had very casually taken off his coat and put it around her. These little actions of his were making her heart slip for him faster than she expected to.

They were walking towards their car to go back home when Inaya got an idea.

"Mir, let's eat ice cream."

He was surprised for a moment. He had not eaten ice cream at Marine Drive since his parents had died. But his heart asked him to agree. So he did. Inaya got chocolate, while Zain ordered butterscotch.

After that, they left for home. Inaya offered him to come inside. Razia was really happy to see him. She brought up the topic of nikah, and Zain looked at Inaya. She gave him a small nod, and Zain announced that they didn't want to wait long for it. He didn't know how long he could control his desires for her, and he wanted to keep things halal. So after some discussion, it was finalised that the nikah would take place in a week.

Zain then decided to leave and bid goodbye to Razia. Inaya walked him till the door.

"Goodnight, sweetheart!" He whispered and slid a finger on her left cheek. She was a blushing mess.

"Dream of me. Allah Hafiz." He said.

"Allah Hafiz." She smiled and watched him walk away to his car.

Just a week more, and then they'd never have to say goodbye again.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

I hear wedding bells. Do you? If yes, vote for this chapter:)